Survive
by redvelvetcheesecake
Summary: Scott and his pack have suffered great losses at the hands of the nogitsune. Their struggles continue with the threat of the Benefactor and the unstable Kate Argent. A family matter further complicates Scott's life. The list that changed everything has got everyone focused on one task - survive.
1. Guardian

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 1: Guardian **

Scott McCall hiked up the trail to their usual meeting point. The crunching of his shoes against the snow sounded harsh and foreign in the quiet woods. The moon shone brightly through the tree branches, casting dark shadows that resembled clawed, skinny hands. He started to run. He couldn't be late, couldn't risk missing her. His heart hammered in his chest, a sense of urgency pushing his tired legs forward until he reached the clearing.

She wasn't there yet. Scott took a deep breath and told himself she would come. This was their place - their haven where they spent so many nights together enjoying the peace of the night, looking out at the sleeping little town they called home. He stepped closer towards the edge of the cliff and waited, watching the faraway lights.

"Scott," she called out to him.

Her voice sounded the same as always, as if time could not tarnish his memory. it was nothing like the last time he really heard it - thin and raspy from dwindling energy. No, this voice was whole. He turned around to face her, a pit in his stomach rapidly forming, spreading wildly like fire. It felt like his whole body ached when he saw her.

Their eyes met like old friends and her lips curved slightly into a smile. The moonlight made her pale skin glow, contrasting her long dark hair beautifully against her bare shoulders. She walked towards him with silent steps, the skirt of her powder blue dress brushing against her knees. The sight of her filled Scott with grief, but he couldn't look at her enough. He was scared to even blink for fear of losing her in an instant.

"I've missed you so much," she said calmly as she stopped inches away from him.

"I've missed you, too. You have no idea," he replied with some difficulty, tears forming in his eyes. He willed himself to breathe properly, to be strong, to not let his pain break him apart. He tried imagining his emotions as tangible objects that he could lock away in little boxes. He needed control.

She tilted her head slightly in confusion. Her hand reached out to touch his face, and he braced himself for the nothingness he knew he would feel. Her touch was gentle, warm. He closed his eyes and tried to cherish this impossible feat. He wanted to touch her hand, hold it, feel its warmth against his, to know she was real, but his body was frozen, and all he could do was let her brush away his rebellious tears.

"I did something bad," he confessed to her like a small child to his mother. He opened his eyes and saw understanding in hers.

"You bit him," she said bluntly, as if she were stating a less-than-life-changing fact. She dropped her hand from his face to Scott's dismay.

"I didn't want to, I swear. But I had to or he would've died. It was either change him or kill him," he said in a steady voice.

He had to make her understand. She had to know he never would have done it if there was another option.

"It's okay, Scott. This is how it had to happen."

Scott searched her face for answers. She was as beautiful as ever and he wanted to desperately wrap her in his arms, to feel the beat of her heart telling him that she somehow survived, that she just needed a break from the supernatural mess they called life and that she was ready to come back and protect their home with him and their friends again.

"What if he dies? What if his body rejects the bite?" he asked, his stubborn arms glued in place at his sides.

"It won't," she said prophetically.

He paused for a moment, letting her words sink in. She spoke the truth, he knew it.

"What am I gonna do?"

"You're strong, a true alpha. He'll learn, just like you did, and you'll guide him," she said confidently. "You can do this."

"I need you," Scott whispered. His body suddenly felt limp. He was just so _tired_.

"No," she responded in a firm tone.

He wanted to ask her why. Of course he needed her, they all did.

"Are you really here?" he asked instead.

She slipped her hand in his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I'll always be here for you, Scott."

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Reunion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 2: Reunion **

Over the next few days, things went from bad to worse for Scott. Not only were Kate Argent and a new beta worrying him, Lydia had used Allison's name to unlock a deadpool with all the supernaturals of Beacon Hills on it, and Scott was worth the most. And just twenty minutes ago, a freshman had tried to behead him with a thermal-cut wire.

"You're here now," Scott told his father. The man was beating himself up over missing the scrimmage game. Scott knew he was trying and didn't want him to feel bad.

"Scott."

Agent McCall and Scott looked towards the source of the voice. There stood a young woman with olive skin, dark brown eyes, and long curly hair that framed her exotic face. "Sorry to interrupt."

"Rose?" Scott asked incredulously. He gave his cousin a long hug which she returned wholeheartedly. It had been years since the two had seen each other.

"What are you doing here?" he asked when he released her.

"I moved back to the Beacon Hills," Rose explained. "I was hoping to surprise you after the game under...better circumstances," she said gesturing around at the ongoing police investigation.

"Hello Uncle Rafe," she said, eyeing Agent McCall warily. "You might not remember me. I'm -"

"I remember you, Rose. Good to see you again," Agent McCall said. "Does your tia know you're here?"

Scott noticed that her heart rate was unusually high. The events of the scrimmage game must've shaken her up.

"Not yet. I haven't been in town long. You okay, Scott?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're all grown up," she beamed. "Well you probably have your hands full so I'll let you go, but we'll catch up later?"

Scott nodded and she squeezed his arm lightly. As he watched her leave. he saw Parrish escorting Violet down the hallway in handcuffs.

"Jordan Parrish," she said.

"Deputy Parrish," the young cop corrected.

Scott and the young assassin glared at each other as they crossed paths.

Derek climbed out of his car and walked towards the door of his building. Peter had mysteriously run off after they had stabilized the poisoned beta at Deaton's office, but Derek had more pressing matters at hand.

He didn't want to admit to himself, but he was scared of what Kate had done to him. Earlier that day, he was strong enough to hold Liam up against the lockers with one arm, but by nightfall, he couldn't keep Brett still even with Stiles's help. He was losing his strength, becoming less werewolf. How could Derek protect himself in his current state?

His only hope rested with Braeden. If she found Kate and brought her back, Derek could finally get answers. More importantly, he could force Kate to reverse whatever she had done to him in Mexico.

Derek walked through the front doors and made his way to the elevators. It had been a long day and his stomach growled from lack of food. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the young woman waiting at the elevators next to him.

"Derek. How are you?"

He knew that voice. It was the voice of someone he thought he would never see again. He slowly turned to face the woman.

Rose smiled at the werewolf. It was good to see him again. She wanted to throw her arms around him but knew he would probably subdue her in a painful way.

Derek stared at Rose, wondering if this was a dream. He quickly looked down at his hands and counted ten fingers.

"Something wrong?" she asked, slightly alarmed by his strange behavior.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded brusquely.

"I live here now," she answered calmly. She would not let him faze her.

"You live _here_? In _this _building?"

The elevator slid open and they stepped inside. Rose hit the button marked "12" while Derek pressed the button marked "15," the highest floor.

"So why did you come back to Beacon Hills?" Rose asked conversationally. "Last I heard, you were in New York."

"I should ask you the same question," he replied with less roughness.

"I have personal matters to take care of," she said truthfully. She knew better than to lie to him.

Derek's interested was piqued, but he didn't pursue the subject. He distinctly remembered her saying she would never come back to this town. Why the change of heart?

He thought about the last time they had seen each other. There had been lots of yelling (mostly on Derek's part) and he had decided to cut her out of his life for good.

"I'm glad I ran into you. I've missed you a lot," she admitted, breaking through his thoughts.

Derek scoffed. He felt his anger rising but willed himself to stay calm.

Rose glanced at him and frowned. She didn't expect him to welcome her with open arms, but she hoped he would've seemed a little happy to see her. Could he really still be mad at her after all these years?

"I'm sorry." She didn't know what else to say.

"It's fine," he said nonchalantly. Derek knew exactly what she was apologizing for.

"Obviously it's not," she disagreed.

She looked sideways at him. He had grown taller and his body had filled out. His beard gave him a rugged appearance and he seemed more serious, more daunting.

"Stop looking at me," he said, despite his head facing straight forward.

"I haven't seen you in a while. Just wanted to take a look at the man you've become."

The elevator stopped on the twelfth floor with a ding and the door slid open. Rose started to walk out but then turned around to face him, the palm of her hand lying over the door frame to stop the elevator from closing.

"Do you wanna come inside and talk?"

"No," he said bluntly, looking straight through her.

"Are you sure? I made dinner..."

She took Derek's glare as a no and dropped her hand. Before the elevator closed shut, Derek slammed his hand against the door, forcing it to slide back open.

"You don't just come waltzing back after seven years and expect things to go back to the way they were," he spat out.

A stunned Rose watched silently as Derek's glowering face disappeared behind the elevator doors.

"Well Mrs. Hale," she said aloud. "I came back to Beacon Hills to save your son and he hates me."

She walked down the hall towards her new home and wished she and Derek could start over.

* * *

**Sorry for taking awhile to upload, but I rewrote this chapter twice because it wasn't turning out the way I wanted it to. Hopefully you enjoyed it. Reviews are highly appreciated :)**

** TvRomance - Yes, Lydia will be in this story. I'm basically trying to stay close to Season 4's storyline. Of course, this isn't an exact copy of the season (if it was, there wouldn't be much reason to read because you could just watch the show!), but I did add my own twist as you can see by the appearance of Rose.**

**By the way, me naming Scott's cousin Rose had nothing to do with Derrick Rose (any basketball fans out there?). I realized what I did in the middle of writing and it was purely coincidental lol.**

**Chapter 3 coming soon!**


	3. Savior

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 3: Savior**

"Help! Scott? Is anybody there? Somebody help me please!" Liam shouted from the bottom of a well. He clutched a wound on his chest that stung fiercely and left the broken skin with a yellow discoloration. Unknown to the recently bitten wolf, the wolfsbane in his system that Garrett had stabbed into him spread slowly through his blood.

"See you then." Scott hung up his phone and walked inside the classroom. He looked around for Stiles then remembered that he was going to the police station with Lydia to talk to Parrish.

Towards the end of third period, Scott noticed someone looking at him through the window of the classroom door. It was Mason, Liam's best friend. The boy gestured for him to come out to the hallway. Scott shoved his books clumsily in his backpack and tried to sneak out the back door.

"McCall, where are you going?" his English teacher screeched, but he was already out the door.

"Hey, you know where Liam is?" Mason asked.

"Isn't he in class?" He could smell anxiety emanating from the younger boy. "What's wrong?

"We went running first period and he just took off and disappeared. I haven't seen him since and I'm getting worried."

"Who does he have for second period?" Scott asked as he pulled out his phone from his pocket and texted his beta.

"Finstock I think."

Scott led the way to Coach's office and knocked on the door before opening it. Coach sat at his desk drinking what appeared to be apple juice.

"McCall, why aren't you in class?" he croaked, sounding congested.

"We were looking for Liam," Scott said.

As he stepped towards the desk, Coach waved him back and pointed comically at his throat, indicating he was contagious.

"Did he show up today?" Mason asked from the door frame.

Coach took a swig of juice from his bottle, coughed, and looked at the boys. "Sorry guys, Liam skipped my class. Maybe he's sick," he sniffed. "Like me."

Scott and Mason exchanged glances.

"Liam didn't look sick on our run," Mason told Scott.

In the middle of the woods, Liam struggled to hold himself up on the stone walls of the well. Throughout the day, he had felt his body grow weaker from the wolfsbane, but the thought of him getting out and beating the crap out of Garrrett for throwing him in there kept him motivated.

On and on Liam climbed, slowly reaching the top of the well. Fatigue and pain tore through his arms and legs and it felt like his chest was on fire. He coughed violently and felt his hands losing their grip on the slippery rocks. He grunted with effort, telling himself to hold on.

Liam looked up at the sky through the broken boards nailed over the well's opening. Nighttime had fallen over the woods and the moon illuminated the dark, cloudy sky. At the sight of the white orb, a shot of adrenaline raced through the boy's body and he yelled with all his might, his blue eyes glowing bright yellow.

A few miles away, Rose stopped in her tracks. It sounded like someone was screaming. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she hugged her jacket closer to her body for warmth. Hoping that her imagination was getting the best of her, she hurried on her way out the woods as if she hadn't heard anything.

This impromptu visit to Beacon Hills Preserve brought back many memories for Rose. Even though she hadn't stepped foot there for a long time, it still seemed like the same woods she had gotten to know so well from her teenage years, like solid proof of a different life. Everything felt so familiar, still looked the same. Everything except the Hale House of course. She had wanted to visit all her favorite places - the lookout point, the lake, the bridge - but as soon as she laid eyes on the construction site that was once the home of Derek and his family, she lost interest in everything else.

She was close to the edge of the woods when the sound of someone running stopped her again. She quickly hid behind a tree and peered out discreetly.

Scott sprinted rapidly between the trees, not missing a step. Rose watched in amazement as he sped through the woods. He suddenly jumped forward and landed with his hands underneath him and started running on all fours like a wild animal. She covered her mouth with her hand to stop a gasp from compromising her location. Scott ran deeper into the woods, unaware of his cousin lurking in the shadows.

"No, please no," Rose breathed, alone once more.

"I'm gonna kill Garrett," Liam said as he took off Scott's helmet and dismounted from his dirt bike.

"Something already beat you to it," Scott said, taking the helmet from Liam's outstretched hand.

"Some_thing_?"

"Berserkers," Scott said darkly.

"He's really dead?" Liam asked in disbelief.

"And so is Violet. I think Kate killed her."

"Who?"

"I'll explain later. You okay?"

"Yeah," Liam answered, touching his chest where Deaton had sliced him open which released the poison from his body. "The cut already healed."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow," he clapped Liam on the shoulder and said goodbye.

Half an hour later, Scott quietly closed the door of his father's hospital room behind him. Agent McCall was fast asleep when Scott arrived, so Scott didn't get a chance to talk to him.

"He's doing okay. " a voice behind him said.

Scott turned around and came face-to-face with Rose.

"He has a concussion and some nasty cuts but he'll be alright," she said. "He'll probably be released in the morning."

He nodded to show he understood. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about your dad, so I stopped by to see him," she said, taking a seat on a chair pushed against the wall. "I guess I'm subconsciously trying to make up for years worth of not being here."

Scott sat down next to her. "It's okay. You had college and stuff."

"But I never made the effort to come back and visit, even when my mother still lived here. I've realized that a lot of things must have happened while I was gone," she said. "I should have been there for you, Scott. I'm sorry."

Something about the way she looked at him made Scott feel uneasy.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. I completely bailed on you today," he said, trying to keep the conversation light.

They had made plans to meet after Scott got out of school, but with Liam missing and Garrett coercing him to break Violet out of police custody, he had to cancel.

"Don't worry about it," Rose said, shrugging it off. An image of Scott running through the woods manifested in her mind. "Tell me about your day."

"Uhh, it was good," he stammered.

"Anything interesting happen?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"No, just studying," he lied. "That's why I couldn't make it today. The PSATs are tomorrow and I realized I knew nothing and needed to cram."

She smiled despite herself. He was an excellent liar, just like Derek had been.

"I guess tomorrow is a big day for us both," she said, rising from her seat.

Scott raised his eyebrows.

"Today I got offered the clinical pharmacist position here and I accepted. My first day is tomorrow."

"That's awesome. Congratulations!" Scott exclaimed, giving her a hug.

Rose savored the moment, hoping beyond hope that what she saw tonight had some kind of logical explanation. They walked out to the parking lot together and bid each other good luck on the coming day.

"Hey Rose," Scott called out. "We can hang out tomorrow night if you're free."

She smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that. Why don't you come over for dinner and see my new place? I'll text you the address."

"Sounds good." He climbed on his dirt bike, slipped his helmet on, and drove off.

As she got into her car to avoid the light drizzle coming down, Rose began planning her next move. She needed to find out the truth. If her suspicions about Scott were right, Derek wouldn't be the only one she needed to help.

* * *

**Hey everyone. Thanks for reading. I do apologize for the long delay. I've been thinking a lot about where I want this story to go (especially after watching the Season 4 finale), and I didn't want to post this chapter until I was sure it wouldn't affect the outcome of future chapters like what happened with Chapter 2. Originally, it had been five years since Derek and Rose last saw each other when Derek left BH. To keep this part of the story canon, I made a change in Chapter 2 from five years to seven years since at this point in the TW universe, it's been more or less seven years since the Hale House fire and Derek left shortly after that. However, Rose hasn't been back to BH in about six years. She finished her senior year at BHHS before moving away - one year after Derek left. This will be further explored in a later chapter.**

** arrow-through-my-writers-block - Yes, there will be a bit of Stiles next chapter. Stiles and Rose have a few things in common and I'm excited to share that throughout the story.**

**I will do my best to post new chapters on a regular basis. Editing and committing to an idea slows me down and I'm a perfectionist, but I'll try to post once a week on the weekends. Thank you and please let me know your thoughts!**


	4. Truth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 4: Truth**

"Everything is okay, Braeden. You were shot but you're at the hospital now, and you're fine."

Braeden felt disoriented and sore. She looked at Melissa, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Do you understand?" Melissa asked.

Braeden looked up and saw Derek. Knowing that he was there with her gave her peace. She nodded.

"Good," Melissa said. "Last night you were in the woods and you came across another pack. Do you know what happened to them?"

"I told you they were poisoned," Derek jumped in.

"No. No, they were infected," Braeden corrected him. "It was a virus, designed to kill werewolves. And it did. It killed them all."

"I have to tell Scott," Melissa said. She left the room in a hurry, leaving Derek and Braeden alone.

"What are you doing here?" Braeden asked.

"I brought you here," Derek said. "Malia and I found you. You were in surgery overnight. The doctors said you should've died in the woods. They don't know how you survived."

"It's not the first time I should've died," she said, touching the scars on her neck given to her by Deucalion. "And why are the doctors talking to you? I thought they only talk to the patient's family?"

"They uh, think I'm your…husband."

* * *

Rose poked her head out the door and looked down the hallway. She had just heard gunshots fire somewhere in the hospital.

"Do you see anything?" her new co-worker asked from under the table where he had taken refuge. "Do you see the gunman?"

"No." She closed the door and leaned her back against it.

"Why does this always happen?" he whined. "This hospital is seriously cursed."

"Something like this has happened before?"

"Just a few months ago, some guys in black cloaks came and sliced everybody up. Still wanna work here?"

Rose opened the door and walked out to the hallway.

"Wait!" her co-worker yelled. "Where are you going?"

"To find my aunt."

She jogged down the corridor then stopped to peer around the corner for signs of trouble. Distress plagued her at the thought of finding her aunt lying dead somewhere.

_Where is everyone?_

At the floor above, she finally caught sight of Melissa. With Derek.

"Tia!" Rose called out to her.

She ran to Melissa and threw her arms around her. "Thank God you're okay!"

Derek's eyes widened. "Tia" means aunt in Spanish. Which meant Rose was Scott's cousin. He recalled a memory long ago when he had visited Rose at her house while she babysat her little cousin. She had angrily told him to not see her when her family was around. His face hardened at the realization that the little boy she so desperately wanted to protect from him was Scott.

Rose noticed a gurney pushed to the side of the wall with a white sheet covering a body underneath. Blood was still smeared on the white linoleum floor.

"What's going on?" Rose asked.

"I have everything under control, Rose. Just go back to work," Melissa said calmly.

"But I heard gunshots."

"The police are on their way. Everything's fine," Melissa said. She looked nervously over her niece's shoulder to the operation room where Deaton and Satomi were getting ready to leave with the body of the dead werewolf from Satomi's pack.

Rose tore her eyes away from the blood and turned to Derek. "What are you doing here, Derek?"

"You two know each other?" Melissa asked in surprise.

"We went to high school together," Rose told her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Derek's bloody hands.

"What are _you _doing here?" Derek said. He was annoyed at the fact that he was seeing her more and more. He wondered if she was following him.

"I work here. It's my first day."

"On a Saturday?" he shot back.

"They wanted me to start right away," she said coolly.

"I gotta go," Melissa said, sensing the animosity between them. She wheeled the gurney carrying the body into the elevator.

Derek walked away. He wanted to check on Braeden before going to the high school.

"Did someone try to kill you?" Rose interrogated as she followed him. "Was it a hunter under that sheet? Where's Laura? And how do you know my aunt?"

"I don't know your aunt," Derek said. He felt his chest tighten at the sound of his sister's name. "She's just taking care of my friend."

She knew he was lying and she had an idea how Derek and Melissa knew each other. She grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Did someone try to kill you?" she repeated.

"No," he said, giving her a hard look. He pulled his arm away and continued to walk to Braeden's room.

Derek opened the door gently. The mercenary laid in bed in deep sleep. Derek looked at her for a moment before closing the door to face Rose again.

"What do you want?"

"She's beautiful," Rose said. "How long have you two been dating?"

"We're not," Derek said sternly. "Now go away."

"But you want to," Rose said. She smiled at him knowingly and walked away, leaving an annoyed Derek in her wake.

* * *

"Are you coming or not?" Scott asked over the phone as he got ready to leave the police station.

"Not," Stiles answered in a flat tone.

"C'mon, Stiles. It'll help get your mind off Malia," Scott reasoned.

"Why? Is Rose still hot?" Stiles asked, almost sounding like his usual self.

"Dude, she's my blood. Everyone in my family is good looking," he said jokingly. "C'mon and see for yourself."

"Nah, I'm not in the mood. I just wanna go to sleep and forget everything that happened. You know, out of all the sucky days I've lived, this really is the suckiest. Almost getting murdered _and_ losing my girlfriend all in one day?"

"She'll get over it. Eventually," Scott assured.

"Well wake me up when she does."

Twenty minutes later, Scott stood in front of apartment 1203 and rang the buzzer. The door opened a few minutes later, revealing Rose sporting black yoga pants and a University of Washington tank top.

"Scott!"

"Hey, I'm so sorry, I know it's late," he apologized as she stepped aside to let him in. "But I didn't wanna bail on you twice in a row."

"It's okay. You can come over anytime. Did you have any trouble finding this building?"

"No, I've actually been here before."

_I bet you have__,_ Rose said to herself as she thought of Derek. They sat down on a comfy red couch in the living room.

"How was the PSAT?"

"We actually didn't get to finish it. A teacher thought there was some virus going around, but it was just a false alarm," Scott said.

"What kind of virus?" Rose asked, immediately interested.

"They weren't sure what it was. I like your place," he said, changing the subject.

Rose's loft looked like a smaller version of Derek's. The open floor plan allowed him to see every room of the first floor, except the bathroom. Boxes were scattered around the whole space, each marked with where its contents belonged. He couldn't see her bedroom, so he assumed it was upstairs.

"Thanks and please excuse the mess. I'm still unpacking."

Scott felt a twinge of grief as he remembered Allison telling him the same thing a year ago when he first went to her house.

"It's not that big, but it was the only option within my budget for this place. This is a really expensive building," she continued. "But I like how open it is."

"Why didn't you pick another building?"

"Because I really like this one," she said simply.

Scott heard her heart beat slightly faster. She was lying.

"Don't pharmacists make good money?"

"Yeah, but I have a ton of student loans to pay off," she said. "Are you hungry?"

"Always am."

She led the way to the kitchen and prepared him a plate of lasagna, salad, and breadsticks.

"So how was your first day?" Scott asked.

"Pretty good. Beacon Hills definitely hasn't changed," she said.

Scott removed his jacket and laid it over the back of his chair. He sensed her looking at him and saw her staring at his tattoo. She quickly looked away and brought him his food.

"I saw your dad leave the hospital this morning. Must be good to have him back," she said.

Scott noticed her heart rate increase ever so slightly that he wondered if he was only imagining it.

"Yeah, but um, he has to leave for San Francisco. Work stuff," Scott said, digging into his food.

"How long has he been back?" she asked as she sat across from him and watched him eat.

"For awhile now."

"You think your parents are getting back together?'

"I don't know."

"Do you want them to?"

"I don't know. Why do you ask?" Scott felt a little taken aback by the question. He had imagined what it would be like if his parents got remarried, but he never spoke of this or how he felt about it out loud.

"Just concerned. I know he wasn't much of a father to you growing up."

Scott could sense her heart rate rising again. This time, he had no doubt. Was she angry at his father?

"Yeah, I know. I wasn't too thrilled when he came back, but he's actually making an effort," he said, trying to calm her agitation.

"Really?"

"You don't think people can change?"

"On the contrary, I know people can change," Rose said. Seeing that he had finished his meal, she pushed her chair back, stood up, and walked to the refrigerator.

"Want some cheesecake?" she offered, retrieving a box of store-bought cheesecake.

"Sure."

Rose set the box down on the table along with two saucers and a knife. As she lifted the knife, Scott heard a spike in her heart rate, and then suddenly felt the back of his hand left sting. He looked down in shock at the long, thin cut and quickly covered it with his other hand.

"I'm so sorry!" Rose cried. "Let me clean that up for you!"

Scott could hear her heart thumping wildly and knew that she knew. He didn't know how, but Rose definitely knew.

"Give me your hand, Scott," she urged, trying to keep her voice even.

"I gotta go." He shot up from his chair and ran towards the door.

"Scott, wait," she pleaded, following him. "We both know why I cut you."

Scott's head felt like it was about to explode. With everything going on – Liam, Kate, the Benefactor – the last thing he needed was for his prodigal cousin to get involved with this world.

"I gotta go," he repeated. He unlocked the door and slid it open.

Once in the hallway, he ran to the door which led to the stairwell, hoping she wasn't going to follow him. He pushed the metal door open and climbed the stairs two at a time. Once on the fifteenth floor, he hurried to his destination. He didn't realize where he was even going until he stood in front of Derek's door.

Scott pressed the buzzer and waited. He looked around him nervously, expecting to see Rose at any second.

He wasn't even sure why this new development worried him. His mom knew, and their relationship was as strong as ever. But everything was happening so fast. He still needed to decide if he was going to tell his dad about what was really going on. Now Rose seems to know and it had caught him off guard. It was all too much.

After what felt like a century, Derek finally opened the door. Scott quickly stepped inside, not waiting for an invitation, and ran his hands in his hair. The incision had already healed.

"My cousin just cut me with a knife. I think she knows," he said.

"Can't say I'm surprised," Derek said, a hint of bitterness laced behind his words.

"What are you talking about?"

"She always finds a way to know things."

"You know Rose?" Scott asked incredulously. "How?"

Scott heard footsteps approaching the door and knew it was her.

"Go upstairs," Derek demanded.

Scott ran up the spiral staircase and sat in the shadows of Derek's kitchen. He could hear Rose repeatedly press the buzzer on his front door. The sound of it started to make his head hurt.

"Derek!" she shouted from outside. "Open up, we need to talk!"

She hit the metal door with the palm of her hand and pressed the buzzer a few more times.

"Derek! Open this door! I saw your car in the parking lot. I know you're in there! Derek? Derek!"

She alternated with banging on the door and hitting the buzzer repeatedly. Derek finally gave in and slid the door open.

"Are you crazy? Do you want to get kicked out of this building?" Derek chastised.

"Why didn't you tell me about Scott?" she asked as she pushed her way inside.

"I don't know who you're talking about," Derek denied.

Rose scoffed bitterly and turned around to face him. "I'm not in the mood for your games. How did this happen?"

"Rose."

She swerved around. Scott slowly descended down the stairs and looked at his cousin uncertainly. He didn't know how to feel about all this, but he knew hiding was not the answer.

"I'm sorry I cut you," she said, walking towards him. "I just had to see for myself if it was true. If you really are a werewolf."

She stopped in front of him and Scott raised his arm, showing her the back of his hand where the cut she gave him had completely healed.

"You're right," he said. "I am a werewolf."

Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she had gained her composure, she looked at him again.

"Tell me everything."

* * *

**Thank you for reading! And thanks for the reviews, favorites, and alerts. It really motivates me to keep writing when I know there are people out there who actually enjoy my stories. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think so far. I was worried about the flow of this chapter because I had quite a few breaks here and there, but I will work on that. It's tricky because I don't want to write too much on what happened on the show. I want to focus more on the scenes they didn't show. **

**Anyway, the next chapter will focus on Derek and Rose's background and why Derek is so against her, so stay tuned!**


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